Fostering

This is an optional professional development workshop designed to support clergy in expanding their skills and knowledge.

“When you see the homeless poor, welcome them into your homes”
How fostering a child helps build a Church Family (and fulfil God’s commands)

Date:	Tuesday 7 October 2025
Time:	9.30am - 12noon
Facilitated by:	Department of Communities and The Revd Gemma Baseley

Overview

This session shares some stories of what happens when the Department of Communities calls the rectory late one evening with a simple request, ‘please can you look after some children for us, for the night?’. It considers the role of the church family in caring for the most vulnerable children, and how to best engage with government departments, legal systems and the local community to keep children safe. And it considers how welcoming a homeless stranger into the Church might just be the best thing to do.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the enormity of need in Perth’s childcare system
• Consider how The Church might respond to children at risk of homelessness
• Explore ways of supporting the Department of Communities, foster carers, children in need, and families in crisis
• Reflect on the theological imperatives of caring for those on the margins